The Broken Girl and The Golden Boy

Championships and Lady Luck

Chapter 24: Justin

I looked over at Piper. She was splayed out under her old lunch tree with Sean and Elena because Sean wasn't exactly comfortable sitting at our lunch table at the moment. For obvious reasons, I thought, glancing over at Chris. I'd agreed to keep his secret, so none of the others knew exactly what his problem was, but anyone could tell there was something wrong with him. He was staring down at his lunch tray, but it was like he couldn't even see it - and he hadn't said a word to anyone in over a week. He just drifted along like a ghost. I felt really bad for the guy, but... I found my gaze being drawn back to Piper. I missed her.

I mean, I understood that she was being a good friend, taking care of Sean and all, but I just... I missed her. Maybe it was selfish to feel that way, but I wasn't the only one. Lindsey had lost some of her natural cheerfulness, Liv was crankier than usual, and Steven... well, he was pretty much doing the same thing I was - staring. But he seemed a little more focused on Elena than Piper, which made me feel better... and then worse, because I was being selfish. Again.

Along with missing Piper, I think the guys and I were all kind of jacked up about the game tonight. Our team had managed to get into the state championship for the first time in over twenty years. None of us would admit it, but I could feel the nervous energy humming in the air. The unspoken anxiety always seemed to get ten times worse when we were at practice. With Chris out of sorts, the entire dynamic of the team was thrown off and even Coach was starting to freak out. His familiar taunts had taken on a harsher tone and it seemed like he was blowing the whistle to correct something every five seconds. It had everyone on edge. I was worried for another reason, too.

The game was going to be held at a professional stadium, far away from here, so Piper might not be able to make it. So what's the big deal, right? Well, one of our earlier games had been all the way out in Carroll and she couldn't be there. That was the only game our team had lost this season. I know it sounds stupid and superstitious, but I'd come to think of Piper as a good luck charm. Without her, I couldn't focus, I couldn't function, I couldn't win.

And it wasn't just the distance that made me concerned she wouldn't come. If her avoidance of my lunch table for the past week and a half was any indication, she could be really loyal to her friends. What if that loyalty drove her to avoid the game, too?

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This is not going well... That was the thought that was passing through my head as Andy and Ian dragged my sorry ass off the field at half-time. The stands that held the rival school's fans were still roaring from the last hit I'd taken. It seemed like being the quarterback put a sign on my forehead that told the opposing team, 'Please, give me a concussion.' I had been tackled by the Irving Academy Royals so many times I was getting used to feeling of having no air in my lungs. I'm pretty sure that's not a good thing. Andy and Ian set me down on the bench and I tugged off my helmet. My teammates plopped down on the bench beside me and looked at Coach B, waiting for the lecture we were sure was coming. But he just shook his head and flipped through the papers on his clipboard. Somehow that was worse.

"Ladies, you need to go back to your seats," one of the security guys demanded, "You can't be down here during game time."

"Like hell we can't!" Liv snapped back. I rolled my eyes. The security guard should just give up now, he would lose the fight either way. If he conceded, at least he'd get to keep his balls intact.

"Get out of the way," Lindsey said to the man in a warning tone, "Those boys right there are our boyfriends and they need us." I heard the man sigh, but he must have moved to the side or maybe they just ran past him.

"Oh, god, Liv," a familiar voice said, making my ears perk up, "Look at him..." I turned around, trying not to wince in pain, and there she stood. She was dressed head-to-toe in the school colors and she was staring at me with concern filling her warm brown eyes. So fucking beautiful. I glanced down at myself and saw what she saw - my uniform was covered in so much dirt the colors were almost completely obscured and I was slumped over in a kind of defeated posture. I was a mess.